There are words we long to proclaim to the world, and others we wish people to know but cannot speak aloud. These are often the words deemed unacceptable, sinful, taboo, or gossip. Yet somehow, they still weave their way through society—in hushed whispers and quiet exchanges. Soumya Sankar Bose’s fifth solo exhibition at Experimenter, Ballygunge Place, titled We Need to Talk in Whispers, responds to oral histories and personal narratives through photographs, negatives, and alternative archival forms.
How Soumya Sankar Bose talks about ' what-must-not-be-talked' thorugh photographs?
For those visiting the exhibition, it is important to remember that the space has been transformed into one where time seems to stand still. To truly absorb the essence of the show, one must first engage with its narrative and then move through the displays with patience and reflection. at first glance, visitors are met with frames of varying sizes containing photographs and negatives. But to truly decipher the works, one must engage with the accompanying notes presented alongside each piece.
The exhibition’s narrative unfolds through the artist’s chance discovery of a diary, whose pages appear as ‘case studies’ introducing each segment of the show. Through these works, the artist attempts to confront incidents that society often prefers to keep out of public view. at its core, the exhibition asks what it would truly take, in a free society, to ensure that such incidents are no longer silenced or treated in whispers.
Each segment of the exhibition carries stories of loss and hope — of traumatic memories, death, grief, and psychological distress. The pertinent question is whether time is truly a healer. while violence and darkness shape much of the narrative, traces of resilience and tenderness quietly emerge throughout the works. From scenic views of a hotel in Puri, shadowed by the memory of a young girl’s suicide, to ordinary household objects that hold within them memory, labour, and sentiment in a middle-class home, every piece becomes a distinct case study, which is expanded through Soumya’s works.